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71 ISSN 1648-4142 TRANSPORT htt p:lwww. vtu.lt/engl ish/editions TRANSPORT- 2002, Vol XVII, No 2, 71- 75 INTERACTION OF THE KLAIPEDA SEA PORT AND RAILVVAY TRANSPORT Raimondas Burkovskis ', Ramfinas Pal§aitis2 Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Plytines 27, LA-2040 Vilnius, Lithuania Received 2002 02 07; accepted 2002 03 04 Abstract. This article offers the panoramic view to interoperability of sea and railway transport in Lithuania. Serious attention is being given to the cargo tlows forecasts, analysis of geographic, political, legal, economical, technical and other factors influencing the intensity of transit cargo flows and using the existing infrastructure capacities. Improvement and further development of technological and technical base of railways for the development of container transportation is identified. Optimization of tariffs (railway+ port) will increase the competitiveness of corridor IX B for Iransit cargo and traffic flows. Keywords: competitiveness, interoperability, port, railway, flows, cargo. 1. Introduction It is envisaged that the activities of the Baltic States ports will increase considerably because of cargo flows. Since the first years of Lithuania's independence the That is why the ports of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia are image of the country is being established as that of a constantly improving their performance orienting their transit country which by its international transport activities to cargo transit. The following activities were corridors connects Western and Eastern, as well as performed in the ports: deepening of water area, increasing Southern and Northern countries [ l, 2]. This was predeter of warehouse space, construction of new container mined by the importance of transit transportation for the terminals, huge complexes for oil and oil repumping and economic life. Income from transit services creates the storing. Efforts are made in order to retain existing tariffs major part of the country's GDP and establishes thousands of cargo handling and transportation. Centres of logistics of working places. are established and foreign investments are attracted in The above circumstances also determine a new order to improve the quality of activities. approach to the transit system as to a unifonn multimodal Currently various Russian authorities support the process [3-7]. In this case services provided to customers policy of directing Russian cargoes to the ports of Russia. are to comprise a full complex of logistics, including The anticipated amount of cargo flows is forecast transportation of goods, storing, customs clearence differently: some scientists envisage the amount of cargoes procedures, formal arrangements of documents, services etc. in 20 I 0 up to 400 million tones per year, from which Russia A very important role in the transit chain is played by would handle only !50 million tons. However the Russian the sea and railway transport. The Interaction of the sea scientists themselves are more pessimistic. In 2010 their and railway transport can be characterised by common forecast increase of cargo flows is 20-30%. It is anticipated interests in order to attract transit cargoes and to use that in 2020 services of transport in ports will exceed the (maximally) the existing infrastructure capacities and, due demand by 2-3 times. to new investments and marketing, to assure the The above perspective determines the development functioning of common multimodal system in future by of various services in the p011s and transition from nanow attracting new cargoes. specialization to wider universality. This tendency is felt watching the efforts of the pol1S to attract new cargoes 2. Cargo Fliows (containers in the first place). Evaluating the already existing terminals it becomes obvious that the competition Via the Baltic ports the flows of cargoes from Russia, among ports will increase in future. Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and many other countries The Lithuanian Government understands the are performed. importance of transit for the economy of the country and pays more attention to multimodal transportation; it also 1 E-mail: [email protected] considers the process of cargo transportation as an 2 E-mail: [email protected] inseparable transport chain. Railway transport comprises 72 R. Burkovskis, R. PaLiiaitis I TRANSPORT- 2002, Voi XVII, No 2, 71-75 a part of this chain and is the main supplier of cargoes to ments, legal regulations, restrictions and other factors the Klaipeda port. The railway transport in Lithuania stipulating or restricting volumes of cargo transit as well delivering cargoes to the port has to cl1mpete not only as interaction between railway and port. with road transport, but also with railways. Especially sharp Interaction between railway and p011 first of all has competition with Estonian and Latvian railways is being to be expressed by the establishment of common transit observed this year. policy. It is necessary to understand that certain hindrances Railways may become one of the major hindrances in one part of the system will have a negative impact on for the rapid development of the port which determines the entire system. Thus, close co-operation among the the decrease of cargo flows due to its obsolete rolling port companies and railway enterprises is necessary stock, awkward monopolic enterprise with ineffective involving also responsible representatives of the state management, shortage of funds, the state's interference institutions. into the activities of the enterprise as well as many other The Lithuanian Government establishes the state factors. transit policy with the help of the Transport Transit In order to avoid all the above it is necessary to pro Committee. The implementing authority is the Ministry of ceed with railway restructuring improving the management Transport and Communications as well as the institutions of enterprises, seeking higher efficiency and flexibility of under its regulation sphere [8]. However, taking into activities, solving problems of inti"astructure financing. account economic opportunities it is difficult to expect subsidies for passenger transportation, separating the financial support from the state for the implementation of functions not characteristic to railways, decreasing the vital projects. interference of the state into economic activities and So far the Lithuanian Government has no specific assuring liberalisation of tariffs and transpmtation market. strategy for cargo transit via the territory of Lithuania. Evaluating the above the conclusion might be made The absence of this strategy caused disputes inside the that many factors depending on various conditions influence country and they were mostly related to privatisation of the transit of cargoes. The main of these are as follows: the most important sea shipping companies- .,Lithuanian Geographic and natural factors; Sea shipping" and ,K!aipeda Transport Fleet" as well as Political, legal and economic factors; to absence of a clear vision related to the perspective of Security, technological, qualitative and quantitative the above companies. Currently the fears seem to be quite factors; motivated, i.e. that, after the privatisation ofthe ,,Lithuanian Pricing and tariff policy factors. Sea shipping", Lithuania can loose its fleet as well as the Some of these factors prevail and are more evident in control of one of the transit chains, i.e. transportation by one country and some - in other countries. Thus, sea. This would not have happened if perspectives for increasing competitiveness it is necessary in the first place shipping activities as well as its place in the transit system to develop and present national advantages trying at the and limits of the state's interference into the activities of same time to reduce the differences among other less the company were set out in due time. A probability exists advantageous factors. that the same will happen after the privatisation of the Lithuanian Railways. 3. Geographic and Natural Factors Comparing Lithuania with Estonia and Latvia, a certain lacking behind in the practical management of Lithuania in terms of geographic situation is less transit policy is observed. Up to 1999 the image of Lithuania attractive to the Russian transport and cargoes than Latvia as a transit country was insufficiently popularised. The and Estonia. The major disadvantage is a longer distance co-operation among private and state enterprises and from the main Russian economic centres to Klaipeda, as state institutions was insufficient, especially in terms of well as crossing of the territory of Belarus. On the other legal acts. That is why new legal acts limit transit to new hand the Klaipeda port is an ice-free port in the very North restrictions instead of promoting this type of activity. which can accept vessels throughout the year. Firstly it concerns the law of Klaipeda free port. The The depth of the port water area and the entrance to law incurred many discussions among various Lithuanian the port partly determine the distribution of cargo flows in authorities and even made the Lithuanian President the ports. suspicious that those who created the laws have created Another geographic advantage of Lithuania is that preconditions for the officials to make profit and legalise the closest transit road to Kaliningrad runs via Lithuania unconscientious competition. Another step is a draft of a and this stipulates common interests in the negotiations security organisation in the Klaipeda state seaport pre

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